This invention relates generally to the field of materials handling and in particular to a remote controlled intake apparatus for a pneumatic conveying intake system for cotton gins.
In the prior art, a large diameter flexible suction tube or conduit was used to unload picked boll cotton from trailers and the like for processing in a cotton gin. The large diameter suction tube was manually positioned and supported during operation and which was rapidly fatiguing to the individual involved. Such unloading operations are also done under the unpleasant conditions of high heat and dust which further limited the expected time which an individual could manually be expected to effectively perform this operation. To overcome this limitation it has been the practice to have two individuals who alternated in performing the manual operation. This requirement essentially doubled the cost of such operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 308,790 to Munger is particularly relevant to the present invention as it discloses the known state of the art. Munger U.S. Pat. No. 509,759 relates to an improvement on the discharge portion of the suction line and not to the features of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,455,764 discloses a pneumatic elevator for seed cotton, but again no remote control operating means is disclosed. This is also true of U.S. Pat. No. 582,542. U.S. Pat. No. 2,189,099 discloses essentially the same manual pick-up or suction arrangement and adds a drying system for the cotton.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,649 discloses a wagon unloader that is partially automated. The jib crane comprises a swingable arm 83 mounted on a piston post 84 that is hydraulically actuated, but lacks the basic remote controlled function of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,190 discloses certain aspects of material handling, while U.S. Pat. No. 1,042,703 relates to an automatic grain transfer apparatus.
Each of the aforementioned patents is hereby totally incorporated herein by this reference for any and all purposes.